Aidan closed the curtain with a swift, precise motion, as if every move he made had been trained for protection. It wasn't aggressive, but it was firm—the kind of firmness that brings safety, that silences the chaos of the outside world, if only for a moment. Then he turned to me.
Our eyes met, and for a second, the silence between us was so intense, so absolute, it felt like the world had stopped spinning. I could hear every heartbeat pounding in my ears, like drums announcing something imminent.
—"Doesn't seem like an immediate threat," he finally said, his voice low, rough, laced with restrained alertness. "But I don't want to take any chances. If they come closer… we'll react."
I nodded slowly, but my thoughts were no longer focused solely on the threat or the danger around us. No. They were on him. On that man who had come into my life like an unexpected storm, shaking everything I thought I knew. On his body still tense from the adrenaline, his eyes burning with a wild intensity, and the way he looked at me—like I was something he didn't know whether to touch or protect.
I sat on the couch, trying to force my body to calm down, to find a position where I could think clearly. But he remained there, standing in front of me, unmoving. He seemed to be caught in the same dilemma as I was. As if he were waiting… for something. A sign. A word. A gesture to tell him whether to stay or walk away.
His gaze swept briefly across the room, but it always returned to me. It always came back to me. There was something in his eyes that made me forget how to breathe, something that hurt and yet burned sweetly.
I wanted to tell him so many things. That I admired him. That his presence alone brought me peace, even in the middle of danger. That his closeness made me tremble—not from fear, but from desire. But I bit my tongue. Because saying it out loud would cross a line we had already skirted too many times. A dangerous and addictive line.
And still, there he was… waiting. As if he knew I would break at any moment.
—"Thank you, Aidan," I said, lifting my gaze to him. "For protecting me. For… bringing me here."
—"You didn't need to thank me," he replied, his voice low. "I would never let anything happen to you."
—"Why?"
His body tensed slightly. His jaw tightened.
—"Because I can't not protect you."
I stood up. I was in front of him now, just inches away. I could see the traces of exhaustion on his face, the wounds still healing, and yet, there was an unbreakable strength in his eyes.
—"What happened out there…" I began, unsure how to finish that sentence. "What I felt… I don't know what it means."
—"You don't have to know," he said, his voice soft and hoarse. "You just have to be honest with yourself."
—"And what if I can't? What if… I feel split in two?"
Aidan gently raised his hand and placed it against my cheek. His palm was warm, steady, and when his thumb brushed my skin, a shiver ran through me completely.
—"Sofía, I know you're confused. What you have with Gabriel isn't something you can just erase. But look at me"—his voice dropped even lower, becoming almost a whisper—"When I'm with you, there's no confusion. What I feel for you is clear. And even if it's hard… I'm not going to take a step back."
My breathing grew heavier. My whole body reacted to him, to the heat he radiated, to the intensity of his gaze.
I didn't know when my hand rose to his chest or when his forehead leaned against mine. I only felt that instant of calm, that microsecond where the world stopped spinning.
Our lips sought each other slowly, but with restrained urgency. When they finally met, it was like a dam breaking.
The kiss was slow at first, but deep. He wasn't trying to possess me, but to connect. His hands wrapped around my waist, and my body arched toward his as if I needed him to breathe. The t-shirt I wore—his—clung to my skin, soaked in his essence. Every part of me vibrated with his nearness.
When his lips slid down to my neck, leaving a trail of burning kisses, my body instinctively pressed closer. His name slipped from my lips in a trembling sigh.
—"Aidan…"
His hands caressed my arms, my back, with a devotion that left me breathless, wrapped in a desire that grew like a wild fire. I didn't want to think. Not about Gabriel, not about the bond, not about what was right or wrong. I just wanted to feel. To live that unique and exquisite moment with every pore of my skin.
Without hesitation, my hands slid under his shirt, hungry to explore. His tense, defined, warm muscles invited my touch, and I savored every inch as I moved slowly down to the waistband of his sweatpants. Aidan growled—low and guttural—a plea disguised as a warning.
His hand began to explore too, slipping beneath my clothes until it brushed the edge of my breasts. The contact—so soft yet electric—made me tremble with pleasure, a sweet and deep stab that shot straight to my core, drawing a gasp from my lips.
The kiss turned more urgent, more desperate. I couldn't help it. I pulled off my shirt, exposing my breasts to his gaze filled with raw desire. Aidan lowered his lips, leaving a trail of wet, fiery kisses until he reached them, devouring them with a perfect mix of tenderness and hunger.
His hand descended to my panties, and though he stopped right at the edge, the contact alone was enough to make my body react with a rush of heat and need. I wanted to beg him not to stop. That I needed him.
I could feel his erection clearly, pressing against the thin fabric of his pants. I dared to touch him, and he responded with a suppressed moan, while his fingers found that sensitive spot between my legs, caressing it with growing intensity, igniting every inch of my body.
I was on the edge, ready to surrender completely to him… when Aidan suddenly stopped.
His breathing was ragged, his pupils dilated, and his eyes… red, glowing with that wild light only a wolf could show. His chest rose and fell sharply, as if he were fighting an internal war.
—"No," he murmured hoarsely. "Not like this. Not now. If we go on… I won't be able to stop."
I remained silent, heart pounding, still feeling his touch like live embers on my skin. He didn't pull away completely, but his struggle was clear. Between desire and respect. Between the wolf and the man.
And though my body craved him desperately, in that moment I understood he was protecting me—even from himself.
He lowered his gaze, breath still heavy, and kissed me again—softer this time. More intimate. My chest tightened. He wasn't trying to take advantage. He just wanted to be there. And that made him even more dangerous.
We stayed there, in each other's arms, no words needed. The danger was still outside. Things with Gabriel weren't resolved. The war had just begun. But in that moment, in that night suspended in time, Aidan and I were all that mattered.